Questions for writers who blog

Have you ever sold a blog post? I am looking at some of my previous posts and wonder if I can send them away as unsolicited flash fiction or non fiction articles.

Is a blog post considered “published?

How do you handle it if you want to use content elsewhere in the public domain? Do you delete the post content and leave a note that this post as been submitted else where? Like this.

I’m keen to hear your thoughts because I think I may have done myself a disservice over at Writer’s Prompts Daily. I’d love to send some of my flash fiction off for consideration but not really sure what the industry standard and integrity is around this.

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Bibliotherapy and books to help kids solve problems


Do you know what bibliotherapy is?
Read on or click Megan’s book, that’s it above, to learn how to use a story to solve a problem.

The process of providing advice through books, any books, is called bibliotherapy. While self-help books, with structured steps for life improvement, are a form of adult bibliotherapy, quality junior fiction offers a range of problem solving options for our children….with out the kids even knowing that the story is helping them solve a real life problem :)

Apart from the bountiful educational and cultural benefits of encouraging children to read, there are three other great therapeutic reasons to use children’s books to give advice:

1. Identification of character and social situation: This identification increases the probability of learning different behaviors and receiving advice.

2. Catharsis: Through identification, an emotional connection with the character or social situation allows children to act out and discuss their emotional responses to the situation.

3. Insight: Through beneficial discussion and follow-up play, the child integrates the link between the story and their own life, with opportunities to practice how to address and solve issues of concern.

Turn any quality children’s literature into your own in-home child therapist by simply following this plan:

  • Step 1) Identify the practical advice (the message) you want your child to know
  • Step 2) Match the message with an appropriate book. Seek out junior fiction/non-fiction that deals with the particular issue (drugs, death, alcoholism, fear, bullying, sexual assault, etc). While searching for the advice appropriate book, remember that:

    The book should match your child’s reading ability level,

    The text must be at an interest level appropriate to the maturity of the youngster,

    The theme of the book should match the identified needs,

    The characters should be believable so that the child can identify with with the dilemma,

    The plot of the story should be realistic and involve creativity in problem solving.

  • Step 3) Decide on the setting and time for the story reading.
    Will you read it with/to your child, will you leave the book for your child to find, will you suggest the book to your child as a great read and hope they ask you to buy it for them?
  • Step 4) Knowing that you need to be active for bibliotherapy to be effective, motivate your child to become involved with an associated problem solving follow up activity by making play suggestions prior to story end (e.g. “We could have a Teddy Bear’s Picnic and ask our friends to donate $1.00 each to the Save the Panda fund.”)
  • Step 5) Design one or more follow-up, book-connected activities, based on your child’s interest and ability. This may be as simple as being available for discussion after story end. You may want to engage with your child in drawing a picture from the story, or help your child journal their thoughts on the book. Alternatively, actively encourage dramatic play or drama around the advice issue, or take a visit to a place somehow connected to the story (see Are Children’s books providing them with enough advice for play ideas).
  • Step 6) Pre engage in the follow up activities by asking questions or having short discussions throughout the reading. At the end of a chapter or every few pages, sum up so that “the message” does not get lost in the fantasy
  • Step 7) Immediately after story end, take a break and allow your child to do their own reflection on the material
  • Step 8 ) Introduce the follow-up activities by briefly retelling the story, focusing on how the characters solved their issue, and let the child know what you suggest you could both do to honour the advice/message in the book
  • Step 9) Assist your child to integrate the advice gained by honestly answering any questions they may have.

  • Happy bibliotheraping….there’s a child therapist in every parent :)

    Contact me to buy my book, Bitss of Caramel Marmalade on Toast: RRP $15.00
    You may also like to read, Hypnotic stories and bibliotherapy.

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Megan’s book for sale on site

Bitss of Carmale Marmalade on Toast front coverBitss of Caramel Marmalade on Toast is now again available on this site. Just in time for Christmas, buy a children’s chapter book and allow your child to get deliciously lost in some child safety focused bibliotherapy.

Suitable for ages 8+ (including adults), Bitss of Caramel Marmalade on Toast is great for getting boys to read. Full of adventure, Aussie toilet humour (you should see how Marmalade pees!) and strange Australian plants and animals, it is a sheer delight to travel the route of power with Bitssy, Marmalade and Caramel.

This is what the back cover says:

Bitssy is too scared to go outside because the Caramel monster will murder her family. On her first bold venture into the world out front, the monster seizes Bitssy and a dreadful end-of-the-line war erupts. Defeated, and in her final heartbreaking moments, Bitssy heeds a haunting echo to take her body wherever she wants without fear of being hurt. Drawing heavily upon her inborn wildness, Bitssy calls up a deep forgotten power and battles like her wise Dingo ancestors would have done. Not impressed, Caramel tries to unsuccessfully trick Bitssy’s family into keeping her trapped. When Bitssy frees herself from the jaws of deception and the coat of trickery, it is Caramel who becomes jarred by her own sour sugar coating and is carted away. Bitssy and her dying mother, finally sample a different flavour: the sweet life that was fed to them by Bitss of Caramel Marmalade on Toast.

Are you on the Imaginif mail list?

Want Megan to pen a personal note? What will she write for you?

Bitss of Caramel Marmalade on Toast is also available through St Luke’s Innovative Resources for $16.50:

Through the character of Bitssy, a young dingo pup, protective behaviour therapist, Megan Bayliss captures every child’s sense of playfulness, inquisitiveness and fear while delivering vital messages about body safety and a solution-focused approach to Bitssy’s issues.

Special offer for this week only (ends 5 PM Sunday 26.10.08, Australian time).

Link to Imaginif and get a FREE copy of Bitss of Caramel Marmalade on Toast.

Leave me a comment if you have linked…just in case trackbacks don’t work. This offer is only available to new links, not existing links.

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Never Ending Protection of Children meme

I knee knocked in front of the local child welfare office, my dry mouth wanted to scream obscenities at me and tell me to mind my business. The small child in my arms was doing enough screaming for both of us, arching his back, kicking his legs and waving his arms about furiously.

“No” shouted the girl “Stop it. I don’t like it.”

Between Baby Dingo’s screams and the wailing pleas of the crazy haired girl, I just wanted to crumple in the gutter like a used leaf because I could not work out what to do.

This is a Never Ending Protection of Children meme, a never ending story, and I tag a true blue writer: Kathy from The Junk Drawer. Let’s see how she creatively manages to craft the story with just one sentence. Anything goes Kathy, as long as kids can read the story all is okay (PS: Kathy – I love your humour [Aussie spelling so keep your grammar snobbery together] and your posts frequently leave me laughing aloud.).

Check out the Protection of children: no cure to virus rules so that you know what to do (basically add a single sentence to the story, link to the rules and tag another blogger – this is a never ending story so keep it going).

Players so far (in order of sentences): Megan Bayliss (me), Alison Kewl, Jeanie Paradise, Megan Bayliss (me),

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Protection of children: no cure to virus rules

BITSS of Protective Behaviours

Never Ending Protection of Children meme

What is child protection? Turn the term around and it translates to the protection of children.

Whose job is it to protect children? Ours – yours, mine and our neighbours.

Child protection is everybody’s business.

Just to demonstrate how easy it is to spread the virus of child protection, lets start a Never Ending Protection of Children meme.

This is a meme virus with a twist – a never ending story, just like the never ending need to keep kids safe.

Here’s the rules:

  • Add a single sentence to the story so far  (cut and paste the story to your blog and then add your child protection words of wisdom). Anything goes as long as it is a story that can be read by kids and it focuses on child safety. Don’t think too much, just write a sentance that follows on from the story so far.
  • The sentence added must be child protection friendly.
  • Nominate ONE bloggy friend to continue the story.
  • At the bottom of your post, link to the person who wrote the last sentence.
  • Link to these rules too so that your bloggy friend knows what to do (send me a track back so I can keep an eye on the story…and if you’ve got no one to tag, tag me…it’s a game and I love to play).
  • Send a track back to your bloggy friend or let them they that they’ve been tagged with Never Ending Protection of Children meme.

There’s no cure for the Protection of Children virus. I hope you catch it because it is only together that we can keep kids safe.

And here’s the first sentence of the Never Ending Protection of Children meme:

I knee knocked in front of the local child welfare office, my dry mouth wanted to scream obscenities at me and tell me to mind my business.

I tag Alison, at Three Times Kewl, to write the next sentence and pass the protection of children virus onto another blogger. Alison, don’t forget to copy and paste the above story (single sentence) into your blog post, add a link back to this rule page, and tag someone else to play the game. They’ll then copy both sentences and add theirs, etc., etc., etc….and so child protection spreads around the globe.

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